Chillie that book sounds very interesting. I'll check it out.
- The Lacuna, Barbara Kingsolver
Half-Mexican, half-American Harrison Shepherd is a humble man, seeking a quiet life. Yet, as he travels between Mexico and the USA during the 1930s through 1950s, he becomes witness to, and in some cases unwitting participant in, some major historical events. Through diaries, letters and newspaper cuttings, we discover how he's schooled in a Virginian military school, then works as a cook in the household of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo in Mexico, meets the exiled Leon Trotsky, becomes a novelist, gets caught up in a web of political conspiracy back in the USA.
History unfolds through his writings: the rise of Stalin, the end of World War Two, Pearl Harbour and the bombings of Nagasaki, the scrutiny of the House Un-American Activities Committee...
Ultimately, the novel is about the historical relationship between art and politics in the United States and it uncovered many insights for me.
The writing was, in places, exquisite but in other places quite "bitty" and spare, which worked in the context of the diaries and letters. The structure won't be to everyone's taste - and it frustrated me at times. But overall, I found this to be a slow and satisfying read.